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L. O. CROWELL. SHEET EELIVEEY APPARATUS.

No.-317,'74Z. Patented May 12, 1885.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. O. GEO-WELL.

SHEETDELIVERY APPARATUS. N0. 317;74Zi- Patented May 12, 1885;

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L. 0. OROWELL. SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS.

No. 317,742. Patented May 12, 1885.

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L. 0. OROWBLL. SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS.- No. 317,742. Pafe-nted May 12 1885..

1 7 7.7. 1715 .6. 1 75 .5. F j'zh NHE STATES LUTHER C. GROWVELL, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TO B. HOE & 00., OF

NEW YORK, N. Y.

' SHEET-DELIVERY APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,742, dated May 12, 1885.

Application filed September 27, fees. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUTHER O. OROWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Delivery Apparatus, fully described and represented in the following specification and the aceompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for folding and delivering the product of a web-printing machine, and particularly to an apparatus of this character which is adapted to deliver in the same form products of different volume.

There are at present many newspaper-printing establishments which desire at different times to issue papers which vary greatly in vol umeas, for example, half sheet, full-sheet, and double-sheet papers; and as it would entail great expense and be otherwise impracticable to provide a separate mechanism for each size of product it becomes very desirable, in order to meet the wants of such establishments, to provide a single mechanism which, by slight adjustments, will be capacitated to produce all of the desired products. It furthermore is often desired to use the smaller products as supplements for the larger, and this fact makes it desirable that the mechanism should be capacitated to deliver all of its products 'folded to the same or substantially the same form.

The present invention consists in a novel organization of mechanisms by which these results are accomplished in a simple and economical manner.

The details in the construction and organization of the mechanism in which the invention is embodied are hereinafter so fully eX- plained and particularly pointed out as to render a more extended preliminary description unnecessary to a complete understanding of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a mechanism embodying theinvention, the supporting frame work and the gears and other mechanism for communicating motion to the various parts being omitted, as such parts will be readily supplied by any skilled mechanic. Fig. 2 is a side and Fig. 3 an end elevation of the same, certain parts being shown in section in order to more clearly illustrate the construction and operation; and Figs. 4 to 21, inclusive, are views showing the order in which the folds are made in the different-sized sheets.

The specific embodiment of the invention herein shown will be first described, after which its different modes of operation will be explained in detail.

The complete delivery mechanism herein shown as embodying the invention consists of a web-severing and sheetassociating mechanism, a transverse folding mechanism, a sheet forwarding or conducting mechanism, a slitting mechanism, a longitudinal folding mechanism, which may also act as a sheet-associating mechanism, a second transverse folding mechanism, and a second longitudinal folding mechanism, which mechanisms are arranged to act in the order named.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, it is to be un derstood that 51 52 are the usual cutting-cylinders used in connection with ordinary Webprinting machines to sever the web into sheets of the desired length. The cylinder 51, as here shown, is of a circumference equal to the length of the sheet to be produced, and is provided with a severing-blade, 20, of the usual construction. The cylinder 52 may be of the same size as its companion, but is here shown as of twice such size, and is provided with two cutting-grooves, 21,which coact with the blade 20. The cylinder 52 is also provided with two series of sheet-holding pins, 2, located just in the rear of the grooves 21, and arranged in the usual manner, so as to impale the leading end of the web after each severance. The pins 2 are provided with strippenfingers 3, which are mounted upon rock-shafts 22, and operated at the proper times to strip the sheets from the pins by means of rock-arms and a stationary cam arranged substantially as shown in United States Letters Patent N 0. 269,184, or by othersuitable mechanism. Attheproper distance in the rear of the grooves 21 the cylinder is provided with two rotating foldingblades, 23, which are also of the ordinary construction, and provided with the usual operanism. 'ries of tapes pass around a folding-cylinder,

= er 54 before reaching said pulleys 47.

ating mechanism, and co-operate with a pair of folding-rolls, 24 25, to fold the sheets transversely off the cylinder. It will of course be seen that the retaining and folding mechanisms may be omitted from the cylinder 52, and a separate cylinder provided with these mechanisms be interposed between the cutting-cylinders and the folding-rolls 24 25.

Leading from the folding-rolls '24 25 is a pathway or sheet forwarding or conducting mechanism, which consists of devices for supporting and advancing the sheets after they leave the rolls 24 25. This mechanism, as here shown, consists of two series of tapes, 4 5. The first of these series of tapes pass round the roll 24, thence above rolls 27 29, and downward across the face of a longitudinal folder, 54, thence downward around the turning-edges of said folder, one'half passing around each of said edges, so that they are brought together in pairs as they pass between the rolls 30 31, which form the external turners of said folder. This folder may also, as will hereinafter appear, act as a sheet-associating mech- From this point one half of this se- 50, and return around pulleys 44 45 43 to the roll 24, while the other half pass between the folding-rolls 32 33, and thence above a switch, 18, and pulleys 34, to and across the face of a second longitudinal folder, 55. The middle one of these tapes passes around a pulley, 39, located at a point near the apex of said folder, while the marginal ones of said tapes pass around the opposite turningedges of said folder and are brought together between the rolls 35 36, which form the external turners of said folder. As these two tapes leave the rolls 35 36, they pass in opposite directions around pulleys 37 38. After leaving the pulleys 38 39 all three of these tapes pass upward past pulleys 40 and return around pulleys 41 42 43 to the roll 24. The second series of tapes, 5, which co-operate with the tapes 4 to convey the sheets from the rol1s'24 25 to and across the face of the longitudinal folder 54, pass between the rolls 24 25, and thence with their companions around the rolls 27 29. From the roll 29 the tapes of this series pass to the pulleys 47, the marginal tapes of the series passing directly to said pulleys,

while the intermediate and middle tapes pass, respectively, around pulleys 46 and pulleys (not shown) located near the apex of the fold- From the pulleys 47 all of the tapes 5 return around the roll 48 to the roll 25.

Located between the rolls 27 29 is'a rockshaft, 15, which is provided with rock-arms 13 14, upon the ends of which are mounted pulleys 28 49, said pulleys being in such positions that when the shaft 15 is rocked to the position shown in the drawings the pulleys 28 will come into contact with and raise onehalf of the series of tapes 4 5, so as to lengthen the path of travel of said raised tapes between the rolls 27 29, and that when the said shaft 15 is rocked to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 the pulleys 49 will come into contact with and press downward the same portion of the tapes 5, so as to take up the slack formed by the lowering of the pulleys 28. The pulleys 28 49 form an adjusting mechanism by which the sheet-forwarding mechanism can be so arranged, as will hereinafter appear, that one of the two sheets which are being carried forward side by side by the conducting mechanism will be advanced somewhat beyond its companion, so that when the two arrive at and pass over the folder 54, which will in this case act merely as an associating mechanism, they will be associated with the edge of one projecting beyond the other. The pulleys 40 are mounted in the ends of arms 12, which are secured to a rock-shaft, 11, so that said pulleys can be swung inward, as indicated by dotted linesin Fig. 3, to take up the slack in the tapes 4 caused by the lowering of the pulleys 28. The purpose of this arrangement will be made apparent when the operation of the apparatus is explained.

Oo-operating with the tapes 4, to convey the sheets from the rolls 32 33 to and across the face of the longitudinal folder 55, are a guide, 18, and a series of short tapes, 6, which pass .around pulleys 19 34, as shown in Fig. 3'.

The internal guides of the longitudinal folders 54 55, which, as herein represented, consist of two converging turning-bars having their apexes located at or near the bite of their external turners, may be of either of the con structions shown in United States Letters Patent Nos. 233,997, 276,672, and 281,619; or, by slightly modifying the arrangement of the conveying-tapes, they may be made in other wellknown forms.

The folding-cylinder 50, which is of the usual construction, is here shown as of a circumference equal to the length of two sheets, and provided with two ordinary rotating folding-blades, 17, which are provided with the usual operating mechanism. This cylinder may, however, if preferred, be of a smaller or larger size, and be provided with a correspondinglyless or greater number of folding-blades.

The remaining details of the mechanism will now be described in connection with an explanation of its different modes of operation, which are as follows:

While the division and arrangement of the printed matter upon the sheet to be folded does not necessarily affect in any degree the operation of folding, yet it will readily be seen that in delivering newspapers in a folded condition it is desirable that the order in which the folds are made should be determined by the number and arrangement of the printed pages upon the sheet-that is to say, if the sheet is printed for a four-page or folio paper it is necessary, in order that the paper he delivered in a convenient form for use, that the first fold should be made upon the line between the sides of the pages, and that if the sheet is printed for an eight-page or quarto paper the first fold should be made upon the line between the heads of the pages. (It is of course to be understood that this statement does not apply to those methods of delivery in which an eight-page or other large productis formed by the association of webs or sheets.) The direction of the first fold with relation to the travel of the paper through the machine will therefore depend in each case upon the manner in which the forms areplaced upon the form-cylinder. For convenience, there fore, in describing the operations of the delivery mechanism, it will first be assumed that the forms are placed upon the form cylinder or cylinders so that the columns of matter lie longitudinally of said cylinder or cylinders, and that the full sheet which the machine is capacitated to produce is suitable for an eightpage paper. The forms will in such case be arranged so that the sheet will be printed in the order shownin Fig. 4. The blades 23 of the cylinder 52 will be rendered inoperative, and the switch 53 will be secured in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The pulleys 28 49 will be swung to the position shown by dotted lines in said figure, so as to cause all of the tapes 4 5 to travel in the same plane between the rolls 27 29, and the pulleys 40 will be swung to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, so as to take up the slack thus formed in the tapes 4. The slitter 56 will be lowered into operative position, and the slitter 26 will be raised out of operative position, as indi cated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. As theleading end of the web enters between the cylinders 51 52, it will be taken by one set of the pins 2 and carried forward upon the cylinder 52 until it has passed the pulleys 48, when it will be stripped from the pins. by the strippers 3 and directed between the switch 53 and the roll 25 and into the bite of the tapes 4 5. When the cylinder 52 has completed one-half of a revolution, the first sheet will be severed from the web and the other set of pins 2 will take the freshlycut end of the web and carry it forward in like manner. The sheets thus directed into the bite of the tapes 4 5 will then pass to the longitudinal folder 54, by which they will be folded upontheline between the heads of their pages, as indicated in Fig. 5, after which they will pass to the folding-rolls 32 33, between which they will be folded by the blades 17 of the cylinder 50, thus receiving a fold upon the lines between the sides of their pages, as indicated in Fig. 6. From the rolls 32 33 they will be carried by the tapes 4 6 to the second longitudinal folder, 55, by which they will be given a third fold, as indicated in Fig. 7, after which they will pass to any suitable mechanism to be further folded, or to a piling mechanism. As the sheets pass from the folder 54, they will be split upon the line of the first fold by the slitter 56, so that the papers, when delivered, will be in convenient formfor reading.

If it should be desired that the full sheet, instead of being printed for an eight-page paper should be printed fora four-page paper,

slitter 56 will be raised out of operative position, the sheet being folded as indicated in Figs. 9, 10, and 11.

If, in either case, it should be desired to produce a product consisting of two full. sheets,

it can be done by providing the cylinder 51 with gathering-pins 9, arranged and operated in a manner similar to that shown in my former application for Letters Patent, filed J anuary 13, 1882, or with other suitable gathering mechanism by which two sheets can be associated upon the cylinder 52 and folded together by the subsequent mechanism.

If it should be desired to produce a product consisting of half-sheets folded to the dimensions above described, the gathering apparatusupon the cylinder 51, if said cylinder is provided with such an apparatus, will be rendered inoperative. The folding-blades of the cylinder 52 will be thrown into operation, and the cam which operates the strippers 3 will be shifted, so as to allow the pins 2 to retain their hold upon the paper for a longer time. The switch 53 will beraised to the position shown in Fig. 2, the slitter 26 will be put into operative position, the slitter 56 will be moved out of operative position, and the pulleys 28, 49, and 40 will be shifted to the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

If the half-sheets to be produced are to form four pagepapers,the forms will be placed upon the form cylinder or cylinders so that the columns of matter will lie parallel therewith, and so that the sheet will be printed in the order indicatedin Fig. 12. As the leading end of the web enters the bite of the cylinders 51 52, it will be taken by one set of the pins 2 and carried forward upon the cylinder .52 until the line between the sidesof its pages is in proper position opposite the rolls 24 25, at which time the blade 23 will come into operation and fold the sheet upon said line into the bite of said rolls, it being at or about the same time released from the pins 2 and severed from the web. As the sheet, now folded to the form indicated in Fig. 13, passes over the roll 27, it will be severed upon the line between the heads of its pages by the slitter 26, thus forming two four-page products. By reason of the arrangement of the sheet-forwarding mechanism which now exists, and which is effected by the changed position of the pulleys 28, one of these sheets will be obliged to travel a longer distance than the other beforelit reaches the longitudinal folder 54, from which it results that said sheet will arrive upon the folder slightlyin the rear of its companion, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 14. The two sheets, one slightly behind the other, will then be conducted over the folder 54, the turning-edges of which will in this case act simply as sheetturners,which turners, together with the tapes, will form a sheet-associating mechanism to bring the sheets together and cause them to be associated with the edge of one projecting beyond the other as they enter the rolls 30 31, as indicated in Fig. 15. The sheets, having in this case been folded transversely .by the blades 23, will not arrive at the rolls 32 33 in such position as to be folded by the blades 17, but will arrive just in time to have their leading ends acted upon by said blades and be directed between said rolls without being folded. The pairs of sheets, associated as shown in Fig. 1.5, will then pass to and over the second longitudinal folder, 55, by which they, will be folded, as indicated in Fig. 16, which will re- .duce them to the same form as the folded full sheets before described, after which they will pass directly to the piling mechanism. By reference to Fig. 16 it will be seen that although the two sheets thus produced are folded one within the other, the end of the inset sheet projects beyond the other sufficiently to allow it to be readily grasped and withdrawn without unfolding. It is also found in practice a large pack of sheets thus folded can be grasped by their opposite ends and drawn apart at a single operation. It will thus be seen that by simply causing the sheets to be associated in such position that the edge of one will project beyond the other it becomes possible to fold and deliver bot-h by the same mechanism, and in such condition that they can be readily separated when desired. The effecting of the association of the sheets in this condition is a feature of great importance and constitutes one of the principal features of the present invention.

It will readily be understood that instead of causing one of the sheets to travel a greater distance than the otherin order to cause them to be associated with'the edge of one projecting beyond the other, the same result may be accomplished by retarding or accelerating one of the sheets during its travel between the rolls 27-29, or by temporarily arresting one of the sheets. This may be done by means of devices such as shown in United States Letters Patent No. 269,159.

If it is desired that the small product just described shall be a half-sheet or two-page paper or supplement, the forms will be placed upon the form cylinder or cylinders so that the columns will lie circumferentially thereof, and so that the sheet will be printed as indicated in Fig. 17. The sheets will then be folded transversely by the blades 23, as indicated in Fig. 18, after which they will be split by the slitter 26 and further folded, as indicated in Figs. 19, 20, and 21, in the same manner as already described in connection with Figs. 14, 15, and 16.

If it should be desired to deliver either of the products mentioned without the final fold, it may be done by shifting the switch 18 to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. .3, so that the sheets, instead of passing to the they are sent to thelongitudinal folder.

18 may be automatically operated so asto direct one portion to the'folder 55 and the remainder to the tapes 7.

When half-sheets are being produced and the entire product of the machine is to be delivered by the tapes 7, it will not be necessary that one sheet of the associated pairs should be advanced beyond the other, as shown in Figs. 15 and 20, and consequently the pulleys 28, 49, and 40 may in such case be moved to the position shown in dotted lines.

When it isdesired to deliver the half-sheet product with only one fold, it may be accomplished by omitting the first fold and directing the-unfolded full sheet between the 132113684: 5 in the manner described in connection with Figs. 4 and 8. The full sheet will then be split by the slitter 26 or 56, preferably the latter, and the two halves, which will then be associated between the rolls 3O 31, will be folded together between the rolls 32 33 by the blades 17 and delivered by the tapes 7 in the form shown in Figs. 6 and 10. When this method of delivcry is adopted, it will usually be found most desirable to put the associating mechanism upon the cylinder 51 into operation, so that two or more full sheets may be associated before This will cause each pack folded by the blades 17 to consist of four or more duplicate sheets, which will be found very desirable when the product is for the carrier, as it will greatly facilitate counting and handling, while the single fold will not materially interfere with the separation of the papers from each other.

Although, as here shown, the cylinder 50 is not provided with means for retaining the leading ends of the sheets upon its surface, it is to be understood that it may be provided with any of the approved devices for this purpose. It is also to be understood that the vari ous series of tapes need not be arrangedin the precise manner herein shown, but may be arranged in any convenient manner to accomplish the purposes intended. In some cases it will be found desirable to cause the tapes 1 to pass directly from the roll 32 to the pulleys 40, the longitudinal folder 55 being provided with independent tapes. By having the tapes arranged in this manner the rolls 35 36 and the tapes which co-operate with the folder 55 can be rendered inoperative when the sheets are directed onto the tapes 7.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention consists not so lmucll in specific improvements in the various mechanisms forming the whole delivery apparatus as in the general organization and combinations ofmechanisms contained therein.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with a sheet-forward IIO ing and associating mechanism arranged or adjusted to associate a plurality of sheets with the-edge of one projecting beyond the other, of a sheet-folding mechanism arranged to co- 5 operate therewith to fold the associated sheets,

all substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a sheet folding mechanism arranged to fold aplurality of sheets lying side by side, of a sheet forwarding and associating mechanism arranged or adjusted to associate the sheets so folded with the edge of one projecting beyond the other, and asheet-folding mechanism arranged to cooperate therewith to fold the associated sheets,

I 5 all substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a sheet forwarding or conducting mechanism and a sheetas sociating mechanism consisting of sheet-turners and tapes, said mechanisms being arranged or adjusted to associate the sheets with the edge of one projecting beyond the other, of a sheet-folding mechanism arranged to co-operate therewith to fold the associated sheets, all substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a sheet forwarding or conducting mechanism consisting of devices for supporting and advancing a plurality of sheets side by side and arranged or adjusted so that one sheet may be advanced beyond the other, of a sheet-associating mechanism consisting of sheetturners and tapes by which the sheets are associated and a sheet folding mechanism arranged to co operate therewith to fold the associated sheets, all sub- 3 5 stantially as described.

5. The combination, with a sheet forwarding or conducting mechanism, as that formed by the tapes 4 5, of sufficient width to receive a plurality of sheets side by side, of an adj usting mechanism by which the portions of the conducting mechanism occupied by different sheets may be made of the same or of difierent lengths, all substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a mechanism for folding a sheet transversely and a mechanism for slitting the same, of a sheet-forwarding mechanism and a sheet-associating mechanism consisting of sheet-turners and tapes, said forwarding and associating mechanisms being arranged or adjusted to associate the two parts or sheets thus formed with the edge of one projecting beyond the other, and a sheet-folding mechanism arranged to cooperate therewith to fold the associated sheets, all substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the series of tapes 4 5, of the pulleys 28 49 40, arranged to act upon a portion of said tapes, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with a longitudinal folding and slitting mechanism, of a transverse folding mechanism and a second longitudinal folding mechanism, said mechanisms being arranged to operate upon the sheets in the order named, all substantially as described.

9. The combination, with an associating mechanism, of a longitudinal folding and slitting mechanism, a transverse folding mechanism, and a second longitudinal folding mechanism, said mechanisms being arranged to opcrate upon the sheets in the order named, all substantially as described.

10. The combination, with a transverse, a longitudinal, a second transverse, and a second longitudinal folding mechanism, arranged to operate upon the sheets in the order named, of a slitting mechanism, a pathway, as that formed by the tapes 4 5, for conducting the sheets from the first to the second folding mechanism, and means by which the sheets passing along in one side of said pathway may be caused to gain upon those passing along in the other side of said pathway, all substantially as described.

11. The combination, with a web-severing 85 and sheet-associating mechanism, of a transverse, a longitudinal, a second transverse, and a second longitudinal folding mechanism, arranged to operate upon the sheets in the order named, a slitting mechanism, a pathway, as that formed by the tapes 4 5, for conducting the sheets from thefirst to the second folding mechanism, and means by which'the sheets passing along in one side of said pathway may be caused to gain upon those passing along in 5 the other side of said pathway, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' LUTHER O. GROWELL.

WVitnesses:

J. A. HOVEY, Gno. H. GRAHAM. 

